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Chapter 16: First Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek
TL: Enuma ID
About three hours after slipping out of the Kowloon Hotel and racing down the pre-dawn roads, we had left Dandong far behind and arrived at Dalian Port.
Our destination was one of the fishing boats moored in tight clusters near the harbor.
"Mmph! Mmrgh!"
The moment the car pulled in, another set of black agents who had been waiting inside burst out, and they promptly hauled the bound So Se-hyok away like a piece of luggage.
Е nuḿ а̊
A thick gag in his mouth, cuffs on his wrists and ankles, So Se-hyok glared daggers at me with bloodshot eyes.
I gave him a friendly little wave.
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"Mmmmmmph!"
And so the Chinese fishing boat carrying So Se-hyok blended into a flotilla of other boats and set out for the distant open sea.
If everything went to plan, that boat would be caught illegally fishing in South Korean waters off the west coast and end up the target of a vessel seizure by the ROK Navy 2nd Fleet.
In that quiet, thoroughly covert fashion, So Se-hyok would cross the South Korean border.
W̃e b̃ n̄о̇ v е́ l̄ E.n u.m̂а̇
"Come to think of it, what happened to Owl No. 5 and No. 8? Weren't they on standby near the hotel?"
"I texted them ahead of time to pull out. They'll have gone back to their posts by now."
"So all that mobilizing came to nothing, huh."
"Hardly. They actually asked me to pass along their thanks. Said the unexpected early clock-out finally let them sleep with their legs stretched out for once."
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"Haha."
In the end, I parted ways with the agents deployed on the same operation without ever properly seeing their faces.
Еn̆ u ḿ а
I'd hoped we could at least catch up a little over having survived the Sinuiju operation in one piece.
I quietly swallowed my disappointment.
"So where to now? Drop you in Dandong?"
"Just drop me anywhere in Donggang. I'll make my own way from there."
"You said you're staying with Kite No. 3 right now?"
"Yes. Partly to keep an eye on how his recovery goes for a while."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Anyway, you really did outstanding work."
"A little bonus money would go a long way toward washing off all that hard work, though."
"I'm sure the higher-ups will take good care of you. Just don't get your hopes up too high about the state of their wallets."
At my exaggerated whining, Crane No. 13 snorted with laughter.
I hadn't done any of it expecting some grand reward in the first place, so I nodded along calmly myself.
'Ten days in Dandong and I'm already built for fieldwork.'
Е n̄um.а .ï d
Even after pulling an all-nighter running back-to-back major operations, my body was still fresh as a daisy.
Crane No. 13, on the other hand, spent the entire drive knocking back the energy drinks stacked on the passenger seat like he meant to pour them straight into his veins.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Want me to drive?"
"No. I'm good. If I let go of this wheel, I've got a feeling I'll never make it back to my quarters; I'll just pass out in the passenger seat for three days and nights straight."
"You do look exhausted. The big job's done now, so why not take some leave?"
"I'm planning to put in for leave soon and visit Korea. At this rate I'm going to forget what my own daughter's face looks like."
W̃ е b̄ n̄оv е l̃ Ӗn̊u m а́
"You're married?"
"Divorced. Quite a while ago now."
"Ah. Ahh."
"Meeting my kid now and then and buying her something nice, that's what I live for these days."
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"I, I see."
"She's already in high school. Want to see a picture?"
W̊ eb̌n̄ о̊ vе̃ l Е̇ń u.ḿ а́
"Let's have a look... Well now. She's a pretty one. Must take after hyeongsu-nim?"
"Heh heh. That's right. They say the eldest daughter usually takes after her father, but thankfully she dodged that jinx."
As we chatted away like that, mile after mile, the world began to brighten into a pale blue.
After another three straight hours of driving, we arrived back in Donggang.
"Until next time, then. Here, take this."
The moment we arrived, I held out the phone Crane No. 13 had given me.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He took it absently, blinking his weary eyes, then after a moment's thought handed it back to me.
"You keep it. Let's call it a private line, just between us."
"Can I use it however I like?"
"Put it to good use. Just be careful when you dispose of it later; destroy it properly."
"Understood."
"Really, great work today. I need to get some sleep and pull myself together. I still can't tell whether this is a dream or waking life..."
W еb̌n o vе_ľ Е ǹ ŭmа
After seeing off Crane No. 13's receding car, I promptly hailed a taxi that had been idling by the roadside.
"Where to, sir?"
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"Dandong, for a start."
I climbed into the taxi bound for Dandong, and once again got out partway there.
From the outskirts of Dandong, I walked the rest of the way to my destination.
'Let's take it easy for a week or so while I keep an eye on my senior's condition.'
Е̌ nüm̂ а . ǐd
As Wang Chunsam's Eatery came into view in the distance, thin sunlight tickled my cheeks.
And as I ambled leisurely along...
Crash!
"Hm?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
At the strangely familiar sound, I blinked in spite of myself.
Sure enough, three gangsters I'd seen somewhere before were making the rounds of the roadside shops, once again raising a noisy ruckus.
Wе̇ b̈ n о̇v̄.e l En umă
Smash!
"Hand over the protection money, now!"
"You really wanna see blood spilled?"
"Smash it all, fuck it!"
Clatter-crash!
Watching them, a dry laugh escaped me for some reason.
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Only a few hours ago I'd been starring in an action movie, smack in the middle of a shootout tangling together the Chongqing Society, the Kowloon Society, and the North Korean State Security Department. And now all I had in front of me were the neighborhood punks of the Black Panther Gang.
It was almost a letdown.
Anyway.
'At least I'm not too late.'
Diligent bastards, I thought, in the strangest possible way, and from early morning no less.
Before they could barge into the restaurant, I picked up the pace and broke into a headlong sprint.
Е̂n.u m̊ а .ĭ d́
"You rotten punks! You dare smash our shop's standing sign again? Stop right there, you louts!"
Seeing me come charging in noisily from a distance, the three of them, just about to step inside, stopped dead.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"...What the hell is that?"
"Huh? That bastard, isn't he the one who mouthed off at us yesterday?"
"It's him, all right. He dares meddle in our business again?"
Sure enough, it didn't take long for my magnificent charge to produce results.
W̊ е b̆ n̂o.v̂ ě l̀ Еn̈ŭm ǎ
Thud! Thwack!
"Die! Die!"
"Pow! Pow!"
"How! Dare! You! Look down on! The Black Panther Gang!"
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By now the Black Panther trio was practically tap-dancing on top of me with their kicks.
Well, since it had come to this, I curled up tight and gently closed my eyes.
Ẅ ĕb́ǹ о v̄ el̃ E num̄а̂
Wham! Wham!
It was summer.
*****
Every time a new administration took office, a sweeping reorganization of the NIS was all but guaranteed.
Under the current administration, the most conspicuous change was the dramatic expansion of the Third Deputy Director's role and purview.
The departments under the Third Deputy Director, previously limited to collecting and safeguarding scientific intelligence, now took charge of the entire cybersecurity domain as well, under the banner of countering North Korea's ever more sophisticated hacking.
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The problem was that most of the NIS leadership, Deputy Directors included, had been filled with parachute appointees hand-picked to suit the President's taste.
Now that the key posts were held by men more skilled at kissing up to their superiors than at practical judgment grounded in field experience...
"No! I just came back from giving the VIP a dazzling report on the overseas departments' results!"
"B-But..."
...that miscalculation came home to roost today in a most lethal form.
It was why, inside an office boasting the most perfect soundproofing in all of South Korea, the NIS Director was screaming himself hoarse.
Е̃n̊_ū m а.íd̄
"Just minutes ago I swore up and down that this achievement would send our stalled North Korea approval ratings shooting straight back up, that he could count on it!"
"Errr..."
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"So with what nerve am I supposed to report this horrific situation to the VIP now!"
The NIS was currently expanding its data servers to guard against hacking attacks.
They had been in the middle of migrating existing data onto the newly built servers, and the trouble began when an unidentified strain of malware was discovered on the server.
A rapid trace-back of the malware revealed that an external hacking attempt had exfiltrated a not-insignificant portion of the NIS's major classified information.
Е̌ n̆ uḿá
"B-But Director, if proper measures aren't taken now, something truly terrible could happen on the front lines in the field..."
"What? If measures aren't taken? Are you saying this is my responsibility?"
"N-No, that's not..."
"The truly terrible thing isn't any of that, it's that you and I might get stripped of our posts and thrown out on our ears! Do you understand?"
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Perhaps because there was no fear of the sound leaking outside the office?
The NIS Director's naked true feelings poured out of his mouth unfiltered.
Е́ ñù m̀ а̊
Before his thunderous rage, Third Deputy Director Sim Won-sik's lips trembled as cold sweat streamed down his face.
"This whole matter goes away if you just keep your mouth shut. Who else knows about it?"
"Well..."
"Answer me straight! Who else knows!"
"I, I was so terribly worried, sir, that before reporting to you..."
"Before reporting to me, what!"
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"Wishing to seek counsel on this situation... I first spoke with the First Deputy Direc..."
"Fuck!"
The scream that had been boiling inside the NIS Director finally erupted past all containment.
Deputy Director Sim Won-sik shrank his neck like a frightened turtle, but the damage was already done.
"Have you lost your mind? The First Deputy Director, of all people!"
"I..."
E n̂ ümа
"Goddamn it! Son of a bitch!"
"...."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Get out of my sight, now! I can't stand the sight of you, out!"
"I-I'm sorry..."
No sooner had the Third Deputy Director fled the office than the NIS Director began pacing in restless circles.
Gripped by the feeling that the blood was drying in his veins, his eyes rolled wildly.
E n ům̂а̃
Until, before long, he squeezed them shut.
"Fuck. Fuck, fuck...."
At last, with trembling hands, he picked up the phone and summoned his secretary.
There was a reason he was reacting so sensitively.
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"Tell the First Deputy Director... to come to my office at once."
Because within the current NIS, the one man that he, NIS Director in name and rank, found most uncomfortable to face was none other than the First Deputy Director.
Еňu̇ m а
NIS intelligence was broadly divided by point of origin into two categories, domestic and overseas.
If one had to rank the two by value, overseas intelligence was rated far above domestic.
Not only was the very process of infiltrating enemy territory to collect it incomparably more dangerous and difficult, but the impact of intelligence won at the risk of one's life was far greater.
It was in that context that, by tacit precedence, the First Deputy Director handled the overseas and North Korea departments while the Second Deputy Director handled the domestic ones.
Which made the First Deputy Director the man holding the NIS's beating heart in his hand, the heavyweight among heavyweights.
"I was told you called for me."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"...Come in."
Soon the office door opened, and First Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek stepped inside.
The NIS Director wet his dry lips, struggling to hide the impatience seething within.
While everyone else had ridden parachutes and connections into a key post apiece, First Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek was the sole man the current administration had retained purely on merit, despite his roots in the previous one.
Whether measured by career record or by his grip on operations, he was someone even the parachute-appointed NIS Director dared not treat carelessly.
"Do you happen to know what I'm about to say to you?"
Wе̌ b̆ n о̄ v̀ el È n̆ü ḿа̊
The NIS Director broached the subject gingerly, testing the waters.
Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek nodded, indifferent.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"I heard from the Third Deputy Director that some of the classified information on the NIS servers has been leaked."
"Th-Then have you confirmed how far it goes? What kind of information was taken in the hack..."
"I verified it at once. Most of the information concerned the NIS's nuclear technology holdings and the specifications of our security equipment. With nuclear-related intelligence stolen, North Korea's nuclear testing activity will only intensify. That is a problem for the Third Deputy Director to shoulder in full, so it's no concern of mine."
Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek's gaze stayed angled down at the office desk.
Еn̄ǔm ӓ . і̀ d̊_
Faced with that inorganic refusal to make eye contact, the NIS Director found himself swallowing hard.
"The problem is that this isn't the end of it. A particularly lethal issue has arisen."
"Wh-What is it?"
"Included in the leak was partial personal data on black agents deployed to Russia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China."
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"Personal data... how much..."
"Roughly ten agents, give or take. But at present, we cannot confirm exactly who is on that list."
W ѐb̊ nŏv_e l̀ Е n̆ u ṁ а̊
Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek, who had been answering impassively, paused for a moment.
In that brief silence, the NIS Director bit down on his lips without realizing it.
Eyes still lowered, Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek spoke quietly.
"If I may offer one piece of advice, you have exactly two options before you, Director."
"T-Two options..."
"First, recall every black agent deployed overseas, all at once, effective immediately. By doing so, the lives and safety of every black agent can be preserved."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"I-If it can be done, then of course we must!"
The Director chimed in frantically, but Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek's next words were ice-cold.
"But they currently number in the hundreds. If they withdraw all at once, the overseas counterintelligence network our foreign departments have built with decades of blood and sweat will be annihilated in a single stroke."
"Th-That! That... that won't do at all..."
"Moreover, to execute this operation, I would have to issue an official order under my own name. Meaning I would have to admit before the entire world that the reason for recalling them is this hacking incident."
"Then..."
Ėň û mа̇ . і̀d̄
"To put it simply, there will be a parliamentary inquiry into this affair."
The NIS Director's face went white as a sheet.
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A parliamentary inquiry.
Which was just another way of saying someone would be made to answer for it.
That single phrase was enough to send him scrambling desperately for another way out.
"Th-The other option?"
Ẇе̊.bn̄ov_е̊ l̈ Ё n̊ u m а̀
"Second, pretend we know nothing of the hack and let it lie. In that case, the ten or so black agents will soon be written off as missing. And even if the truth someday comes to light, full responsibility for the entire affair can be laid on the Third Deputy Director, the man in charge of cybersecurity."
In other words, there was a tail that could be cut loose.
His report finished, Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek finally fixed his gaze squarely on the NIS Director.
Under that deep, still stare, all the NIS Director's cheeks could do was quiver.
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As if begging Kim to make the choice in his stead, the Director's face brimmed with an utterly irresponsible appeal.
"...."
W eb n̄ о̆ v̌ ѐ ľ Еn um̄ a
Kim Jin-taek lifted his head for a moment and looked at the ceiling.
In his mind, a handful of small weights slid back and forth across a swaying balance.
Then, at a certain point, came the moment it settled, coldly and precisely, into equilibrium.
"Director. I'm going to need one promise from you."
His tone had subtly changed.
The NIS Director swallowed hard in spite of himself.
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"A promise? Wh-What promise?"
"I heard that last week you held a secret meeting with the leader of Team 1 of the Special Operations Group, which falls under my command."
"Ah, hmm..."
"With the North Korea situation as sensitive as it is now, I've found it rather hard to keep looking the other way while capable overseas-department agents are quietly siphoned off into the domestic departments."
"A-Ahem!"
The NIS Director coughed in fluster, but Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek didn't so much as blink.
Е̊ ǹ ú ḿа̂ . ï d
"For as long as you occupy your current seat, at the very least, I ask that you put a stop to such scheming."
Across every administration in history, the NIS's overseas departments had always been everyone's favorite punching bag.
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Every time power changed hands, the higher-ups took the knife to the overseas departments first, in the name of stabilizing the domestic situation.
Pulling any veteran agent who looked useful into the domestic departments to run the administration's errands was practically an annual tradition, and the current administration, and the NIS Director standing here, were no exception.
"Promise me that, and I will treat this hacking incident as something I never heard about. All you need to do is keep the Third Deputy Director's mouth firmly shut."
"Then... the, the exposed black agents? You'd leave them to die, is that it?"
W̃е̌b́ nо̀ v̀ еl _Ẽ n ů ḿ а
"Compared to the whole world learning that black agents' identities were leaked, isn't it a far better outcome for your personal wellbeing, Director, if they simply go quietly dark on foreign soil?"
"Hmph! Ahem!"
At Kim's declared willingness to stand by and let the sacrifice happen, the NIS Director coughed out one uncomfortable throat-clearing after another.
Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek continued, his expression inorganic.
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"Every one of our overseas-department agents moves for the national interest. And the national interest always exacts unwanted sacrifice. Even so, it is a path all of us walk with our eyes open."
Deputy Director Kim Jin-taek was a former black agent with long years in the field, a man who had spent half his life in the trenches, crossing the line of fire at every turn.
Wе̄ b́ṅ оvё l̂ Ѐ n̈ um̈ а̊_
The weight of that career bled quietly through a gaze that held not a single grain of emotion.
"I trust that you, too, will make your decision for the national interest, Director."
"...."
Reminded anew of Kim's long field career, the NIS Director did not dare open his mouth.
At the end of a very stubborn silence, he finally gave a faint nod.
"The overseas departments will be needing fresh personnel before long. I ask that half of the special-activity funds budgeted to the Third Deputy Director be reallocated to the overseas departments."
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"...I'll see it done."
Calculating down to the very last word, Kim's tone sent another chill crawling up the NIS Director's spine.
*****
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